Questions and Answers
John Chipman
Thank you very much. The issue of a regional security framework for the Gulf has been around for many years and it is one of the reasons that the Manama Dialogue was established, to at least informally ensure that the national security establishments of all the regional states and key outside powers could consult on matters of regional security. However, there also needs to be official ways through diplomatic arrangements and formal agreements for regional security to be built. I wonder whether in this concluding session people would like to make some reflections based partly on what they have heard over these two days and partly on their own understanding of where regional security arrangements could go if there was the political will.
Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar Abdulla, Bahrain
Thank you Mr Chairman, I have two questions. The first is to His Excellency Mr Tareq Al Hashimi. Your Excellency, Vice-President, my question is: The problem in Iraq is basically and primarily a political problem and I agree with some of the points you evoked in your speech. However, in order to reach a political stability and build a modern state in the friendly state of Iraq, is it required to change the basis on which the state of Iraq has been built under Bremer, like constitution for instance, so that the Iraqi communities can get on together over new principles to govern the State as you said?
The second question is for the Deputy Minister of China. In the Gulf region we respect China as a very good friend of most of the countries in the region. However, most people look at the role of China as a commercial and economic role in the region. Is China considering a new strategic vision in its policy vis-à-vis the Gulf region?
Dr Patrick Cronin, IISS
My question is for Senator Zhai Jun about energy security in the Gulf. I am trying to tie this to yesterday’s session in what we heard from our Indian and Japanese participants. My question is: Given the importance of Gulf energy for Asian powers, shouldn’t and couldn’t Asian powers be doing more to provide regional security beyond the importance and principle of diplomacy? We certainly commend you Minister, for strengthening diplomatic approaches to this region but do you also view in China other Asian powers, namely India and Japan, as having congruent approaches to energy security coming from the Gulf or do you see differences in the Asian approach to energy security?
Dr Geoffrey Kemp, US
I would like to follow up the question that Patrick Cronin just asked concerning the Asian role in the future. It seems to be it is not just the energy dependency that is important. There is also the huge Asian investment initiative, and as we heard yesterday an Asian population in the Gulf. My specific question to our Chinese colleague is whether is view of the growing importance of this region to China, do you support the basic themes outlined by some of our colleagues particularly from Iraq, that a US-Iraqi strategic cooperation agreement is an essential part of the future security environment?
Zhai Jun
I very much thank those friends for their questions. Regarding China’s relations with the Gulf countries, I believe that the friends present here know that China has always enjoyed traditionally friendly relations with these countries. We hope to further such relations. As you have just mentioned, the strategic elements in this relationship are being strengthened, because we are linked by our real interests. China’s economy is developing rapidly, and a considerable part of our energy supply is found in the Gulf region. I therefore think that China and the countries in the Gulf regions may find it even more necessary than before to further strengthen the consultations and communication between us, and to build a closer strategic partnership on the basis of safeguarding common interests.
Secondly, regarding the issue of energy security, it is an issue concerning the world’s stability and prosperity. We are also very happy to make more contributions to the safeguarding of energy security. We are also happy to strengthen the consultations and exchanges with other major Asian countries towards this end, so that we can make common efforts, Asian efforts, to safeguard energy security, particularly the energy security for the region.
Regarding the third question, as I mentioned earlier, we hope sincerely that the situation in Iraq can achieve a genuine turn for the better. We believe that national reconciliation, and national unity, is the most important among the three major tasks facing Iraq, i.e. national unity, the security situation and reconstruction. It is the basis on which to achieve the stabilisation of the situation and reconstruction in Iraq. In order to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq, first and foremost, the various political factions in Iraq should all be involved in the Iraqi political process, should play their parts on an equal footing and share equally the power. We hope that Iraq will quickly overcome the difficulties and move onto the road of stability and development. We also believe that the Iraqi people are able to do so.
Tareq Al Hashimi
Well, I think the paper was clear in its focus on the fact that the problem in Iraq today is, primarily, a political problem. As the Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs said, the cornerstone of improvement of the situation is national reconciliation and the cornerstone for national reconciliation is the effective participation in running Iraq, based on the parity in policy-making and assuming political, ethical and moral responsibilities. Iraq presently faces big challenges in several fields. Today, we have an elected government, an elected parliament and we have a constitution. These are the results of the political process built since the regime was overturned in 2003. I am sorry to say that the political process has been built on some unrealistic basis and led to a kind of perplexity. Let us take the constitution, the constitution which is supposed to be the main law for Iraq. There is a divergence over this constitution. This divergence over the constitution keeps the political turmoil standing. Yes, Iraq still needs to review many of the principles on which the political process has been built and to reform the results of this political process afterwards.
Baroness Symons, UK
My question follows on the last point made by both speakers about the importance of reconciliation. I wanted to ask both speakers whether they felt that democracy was an essential ingredient in that future framework; whether they thought that the push for democracy in Iraq had gone too fast. The fact is that elections and election campaigns tend to emphasise differences. They certainly do in my country, and I would think that they do in most of the countries where we are used to election campaigns. Given that, do both speakers feel that democracy at the moment is helping that national reconciliation or whether it is in any sense hindering it?
Dr John Chipman
When the Vice President comes to answer that part of the question, perhaps he might make some specific comments on how the forthcoming provincial elections in Iraq will specifically affect the process of national reconciliation, precisely for the points that Baroness Simmons makes, and what attempts you might be concerned about to destabilise that provincial elections for the advancement of a narrower agenda.
Toby Dodge, IISS
Thank you, Chairman. I have a question for each of the speakers. Firstly, to Vice President Al Hashemi, I have two points. Firstly, given Dr Al Rubaie’s focus on a continuing partnership with the United States, I wonder what his view on that is, and how long he would like to see US troops continue in the country. Secondly, given the breakthrough of the Anbar Awakening, I wonder how he would see the integration of that political movement forward into the national process. What organisations or institutions would he like to see bringing the Anbar population into politics?
To our Chinese colleague, given that there seems to have been an expanding role for the United Nations in Iraq, would his government back that both diplomatically, but with resources and personnel?
Dr John Chipman
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much indeed.
Lieutenant General Hussein Dohi, Iraq
I am responsible for training in the army. I would like to tell the participants about the true situation of the Iraqi armed forces, and specifically the Iraqi Army. Ever since the beginning of 2004, there have been attempts to build the Iraqi Army so that it is professional, independent, and include all different elements of Iraqi society. This is still the goal in the armed forces and we are working together to achieve that goal.
The Iraqi Army today includes representatives of all parts of society; all minorities or sectarian groups. The soldiers and officers in the Iraqi Army gave many sacrifices to achieve security and stability. Had it not been for those sacrifices, and the patience and the difficulties, we would not have made the progress we made. Iraqi citizens now trust the Iraqi Army and cooperate with it in order to fight terrorism. We are on the right path.
We all need to join forces – at the national level, regionally, and internationally – in order to reinforce security and stability in Iraq. The Iraqi people have suffered greatly from terrorist acts. Terrorism has hit all Iraqis in all parts of Iraq, with no exceptions. In the name of the Iraqi Army, I would like to say that we are ready to make the necessary sacrifices. I would like to assure all of you that the Iraqi Army is doing well. Thank you.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkey
My question is to His Excellency Vice President Al Hashimi. Mr Vice President, there are so many internally displaced persons in Iraq and so many refugees, mostly in the neighbouring countries. They are in difficult situations, particularly women and children who are the most vulnerable. Do you have any concrete policy for them and do you get any international support?
Zhai Jun
As for the national reconciliation of Iraq, I think Vice President Al Hashimi is in a better position to answer this question. If it was up to me to answer this question, I would say that we also support a democratic process in Iraq, but we also hope that the democratic process should be promoted in accordance with Iraq’s national conditions and the realities.
As for the second question, China always supports a greater role played by the United Nations in Iraq. If there is any need China is willing and ready to provide assistance, according to our capacity, and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Dr John Chipman
With regards to China and the United Nations, perhaps I should not miss the opportunity to ask Mr Zhai as to what the current attitude is of the People’s Republic of China to the plans in the United Nations to continue enforcing existing Security Council resolutions in regard to the Iran nuclear issue. The current sanctions have been imposed with the specific aim of encouraging Tehran to comply with the request to suspend uranium enrichment activities. The current Security Council resolutions do not refer in any specific or general way to concerns about work on a specific nuclear device. They call on the Islamic Republic of Iran to suspend enrichment. In so far as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has still reported that that suspension has not taken place, is China prepared to continue working with its Security Council colleagues and the other interested country engaged in this matter, the Federal Republic of Germany, to continue applying sanctions and increasing them until the Security Council is satisfied on that specific point?
Zhai Jun
Thank you for your question. China’s position on the Iran nuclear issue is very clear. Firstly, China is opposed to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Secondly, China believes that relevant countries have the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Thirdly, if there are different views or differences on this issue, the differences should be resolved through peaceful negotiations.
As far as the Iranian nuclear issue is concerned, China has always played a very constructive role in settling this issue. China has always been actively involved in the consultation between P5 and Germany. China has maintained communication with Iran, the United States, the European Union, Russia, and other relevant parties. We are also endeavouring to push for a peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogues in our own ways.
Currently, the consultation among the P5 and Germany is still ongoing. We hope that there will be an outcome that is acceptable to all sides.
Dr Tareq Al Hashimi
The first question was to do with democracy and whether democracy is helpful in the situation in Iraq or whether it is an impediment. The choice of democracy was made by the Iraqi people. It is true that, after the fall of the previous regime, the democratic process took place in a very short timeframe and perhaps that was not suitable to the conditions which were prevalent then. We had a referendum about the constitution as well as elections. Perhaps it would have been better until there was more security and until the political process was mature and complete. Perhaps after that we could have held elections and written the constitution. However, what happened happened.
This does not mean that democracy is a stumbling block. As I said, democracy is the choice of the Iraqi people. What we have to do today is try to improve the situation so as to reap the benefits of the choice we made, which was the choice of the Iraqi people with all of the various components. The process will not be reversed.
The second issue, raised by Dr Chipman, had to do with the elections that will take place soon in the various provinces. These elections are necessary because there are imbalances in many of the provinces and there is still instability. There has to be stability and security. That is a priority for us. This is why we are holding these elections hastily. There has not been a law in the provinces yet.
Once that law comes into place, and once negotiations are held about the role of the central government, as well as the role of the provincial governments, once we have done that things will improve. However, in any case, nothing can improve if we do not hold these elections in the provinces quickly.
In terms of long‑term agreement with the United States, there is no doubt that Iraq needs a strong and honest partner today, which has the ability and is ready to help Iraq. The United States was at the forefront of those countries which stood ready to provide assistance to Iraq and to compensate it for some of the damage, and to treat it as a united country. Therefore, yes, I am for an agreement with the United States of America. This does not mean, however, that Iraq will not be able to sign bilateral agreements with other countries in the world. This is part of our sovereign rights.
We need a strong and honest partner who will help Iraq. Iraq is in a state of backwardness, not only since the fall of the regime, but even before that because of the sanctions which were imposed on my country. I think that the agreement we will sign with the United States will be a good thing, but this is a matter which must be decided by the Iraqi people and parliament. They have the last say on this.
Continuing with the historically‑important model of an Anbar, which is being applied in the west of Baghdad and other places, this model means that the populations of the provinces bear part of the responsibility to ensure their own security. This will perhaps change many of the theories taught in military academies throughout the world. It will show how ordinary people can help in providing security and bringing stability to their regions by working side by side with the armed forces. This is a new model, but it has been successfully applied in other parts of the world. Even today it continues to be applied in other parts of the world. This is a unique experience and perhaps Iraq will set a new military precedent. Perhaps this will be something that will be written about in military history books and will change many of the theories about fighting violence and terrorism.
We need support for this experiment from the government and from the population. In all of the provinces there has to be a representative of the government and of the military. To oversee the process, there have to be controls and safeguards, and laws must be applied so that all fears will cease about the model. This will lead to the appearance of militias.
The last question was to do with refugees and internally displaced persons. The Iraqi Government, the Iraqi people, the countries of the region and the international community must all provide assistance to Iraq on this matter. In terms of the internally displaced persons, they do receive assistance from the government. The problem lies with the refugees outside – in Syria and Lebanon, for example – and there is a need for the GCC countries to help the refugees, especially those in Syria and Jordan. With all the thanks to Syria and Jordan, and other countries, because this has placed pressure on their economies.
However, these refugees must return to Iraq because Iraq needs these educated people. They are an important part of our human resources and they need to participate in the rebuilding of the nation. They need to help us to implement the plans we will start implementing soon, once security returns to Iraq.
